Exeter Racecourse is a

thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

venue located near the city of

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Locally it is known as Haldon racecourse because of its location on top of the

Haldon Hills The Haldon Hills, usually known simply as Haldon, is a ridge of high ground in Devon, England. It is situated between the River Exe and the River Teign and runs northwards from Teignmouth, on the coast, for about until it dwindles away nort ...

. Until the early 1990s it was officially known as ''Devon and Exeter''. On 1 November 2005 racehorse

Best Mate Best Mate (28 January 1995 – 1 November 2005) was an Irish-bred, English-trained racehorse and three-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was considered one of the most loved horses in the history of horse racing in the UK, with hi ...

died at the course of a suspected heart attack whilst competing in the William Hill

Haldon Gold Cup The Haldon Gold Cup is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Exeter over a distance of about 2 miles and 1½ furlong ...

History

No_Way_Back_at_the_final_fence_-_geograph

Horse racing has been part of Exeter's heritage since the middle of the 17th century, one of many racecourses created due to Charles II's love of the sport, and there have been claims that the racecourse is one of the oldest in the country. Horse racing rules were standardised after the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amo ...

was formed in 1750. A race was written about by Louisa Graves in 1819, and there were records of meetings at the course in 1804, probably earlier. The course was popular during the early 19th century, attracting entries from all over the country. By 1850, the popularity of

National Hunt racing In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

had waned and William White's gazetteer claimed that it was "little used". It popularity increased again over the following years, although there was a pause in racing during World War II. The course has been known variously as Haldon racecourse by locals due to its location, Devon and Exeter until the 1990s and more recently Exeter Racecourse.

Duel

The last

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

in Devon occurred at the racecourse in 1833, when

Peter Hennis Dr Peter Hennis MD (1802 - 18 May 1833) was a much admired and revered physician. The hero of the Exeter cholera outbreak of 1832 was also the last known victim of duelling in Devon. Biography Hennis was born in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland. ...

, a doctor, and Sir

John Jeffcott Sir John William Jeffcott (1796 – 12 December 1837) was the first judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia. He also served as Chief Justice of Sierra Leone. Biography Jeffcott was born in County Kerry, Kerry, Ireland. He was educated a ...

, a judge, drew pistols over Hennis spreading gossip. Hennis was wounded in the exchange, and died the following week; Jeffcott fled to Sierra Leone.

Stand

Buildings at Exeter Racecourse (geograph 3355810)

In 1911, a new grandstand was built at the cost of £1,000 (), designed by J. Archibald Lucas, designed to be long and deep, holding over 600 people, the majority of which would be under cover. The new stand was made of steel but with an iron roof, and held a bar, a weigh-room and other facilities as well as storage space. By 2006, Exeter Racecourse included three stands, Haldon, Anstey and Brockman. The Haldon stand was opened by

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...

in 2004 and caters for the premier ticket holders, while the Anstey stand was opened by Lord

Woodrow Wyatt Woodrow may refer to: People *Woodrow (name) Woodrow is an English given name which was originally an English surname which may originally derive from a toponym meaning "row of houses by a wood" in Old English. Other sources suggest the nam ...

in 1986. Upstairs in the Haldon stand, there is a gallery with seating to watch the races, and a bar named after

, as well as the Desert Orchid restaurant. For non-premier ticket holders, there is the Romany King bar, and burger van.

Location

The course is at the top of the

, near Exeter. At above sea level, the racecourse is the highest in the United Kingdom. The original course was described as a "fine oval course of two miles", though in the 1850s an additional flat course was added, one mile long, making the total course length three miles. By the 1940s, the steeplechase matched the line of the original course. One lap of the course includes eleven fences, two of which are open ditches and one a water jump.

Notable races

The course has historically had a Gold Cup race, which was won in 1807 by

Lord Charles Somerset Lord Charles Henry Somerset PC (12 December 1767 – 18 February 1831), born in Badminton, England, was a British soldier, politician and colonial administrator.Charles Mosley, editor. Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volu ...

's horse, Bagatelle, sire of

Sir Peter Teazle Sir Peter Teazle (1784 – 18 August 1811) was a good British bred Thoroughbred racehorse, a Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland nine times, and carried on the sire line of Herod. Breeding Sir Peter Teazle was a brown horse bred and own ...

. There have also been special races in the 1810s to focus on three-year-old thoroughbreds foaled in the West Country. Presently the best known race is the

, held in November. In 2005 the three-time winner of the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

, collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack after its jockey pulled up during the race. Charity races at the course have included jockeys riding

Clydesdale horse The Clydesdale is a Scottish breed of draught horse. It is named for its area of origin, the Clydesdale or valley of the River Clyde, much of which is within the county of Lanarkshire. The origins of the breed lie in the eighteenth century, ...

s in aid of

Devon Air Ambulance The Devon Air Ambulance Trust (DAAT) is a charity providing emergency medical services through the provision of two helicopter-based air ambulances and two critical care cars, which cover the county of Devon in South West England. The helico ...

in 2013, and Dartmoor ponies in aid of

Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

in 2014.

Caravan Site

During the summer the Caravan and Motorhome club run a caravan site in the grounds of the racecourse.

References

External links

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Exeter Racecourse in Little Blue Pen
{{Horse racing in Great Britain Horse racing venues in England Sports venues in Devon Sport in Exeter